Tiahrt (who had a son commit suicide) tells poor people to commit suicide

[demtenjeep]

Amanda Thompson of Wichita, KS, thought she was just out for a birthday celebration with some friends. Unfortunately, for the group, the late winter evening ended with an all too candid moment with ultra-conservative former Congressman, Todd Tiahrt and friends.

According to Thompson:

“The encounter happened Friday night at the Old Chicago in Old Town. A group of 12 individuals were gathered to celebrate my birthday and to watch the KU basketball game. What was supposed to be a celebratory atmosphere quickly turned sour at the presence of Todd Tiahrt and his wife.

Later that evening, after we had paid for our bill, we proceeded to walk outside towards our respective cars. A member of our party quietly said, ‘You don’t represent us’ and few other members of our party commented ‘me neither.’

Mrs. Tiahrt sneered ‘Oh, like that really hurts our feelings coming from you.’

At this point the conversation became slightly heated when Tiahrt’s party told our group to ‘go occupy something.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/03/13/congressman-turned-defense-lobbyists-dinner-ends-in-former-constituents-being-told-suicide-helps/

[sabrina 1]

1. How do people like this get into office? He and his wife, who apparently joined in the

'conversation' are filled with hatred for their own country. They hate their political opponents with such a passion they would have no problem with seeing all of them commit suicide.

The irony, (is there ever a time when these far-right-wing nutjobs ever realize how ironic their diatribes often are?) is that his 'pro-life'.

Tiahrt, who was voted out of office in 2010, is vehemently “pro-life,” and was known for inflammatory rhetoric such as suggesting that President Obama would have been aborted if tax payers paid for abortions (something that isn’t and wasn’t on the table). Tiahrt was also pro-war, pro-torture and an easy target for lobbyists.

Not only did he, as a politician, hop into bed with some of the most dubious lobbyists, such as Jack Abramoff and the Koch brothers, he parlayed those connections into a very lucrative post-Congressional gig as a defense, aerospace and energy consultant.

Apparently he is not taking questions about the incident. Typical behavior of bullies/cowards. Spew venom, then run and hide.

[demtenjeep]

2. he is scum

was scum when he was our "congressman"

a pandering man the entire time.

[saras]

3. Well, one reason is that this group let them get away with it...

..if everyone's going to do THAT, then what the hell IS going to stop them?

[legaleagle78]

4. You are wrong about the Tiahrt story!

I am a Democrat, a very proud Democrat, have never voted for a Republican and never will but I know the Tiahrt's, am friends with the Tiahrts and I can tell you that this did NOT happen. Todd and Vicki Tiahrt lost their 16 year old son to suicide. Do any of you really think that somebody would wish a suicide on another person, particularly from somebody who found their kid dead from a suicide? Come on......get real! I can tell you that each day they struggle with the loss of their beloved Luke. Mention the word "suicide" and they freeze! I connected Vicki Tiahrt with a friend of mine who lost her son to suicide. Vicki made a tremendous difference and she didn't ask about my friend's politics and didn't care. She was a grieving Mother reaching out to another grieving Mom. If you want to go after Todd Tiahrt on the issues, do it....there's plenty there and I tell him that all the time. But stop this vile attack on good people. We Democrats are better than that!

[tkmorris]

5. Oh well, guess that's settled then

I'm sorry but surely you realize that coming here out of the blue and registering for the sole purpose of defending the Tiahrts is a tad...suspect?

[demtenjeep]

6. Tiahrts are scum

always have been always will be

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Tiahrt sucks and if you're really a Democrat you know it

I can't imagine why any Democrat would ever WANT to be friends with him. He's one of the most grotesque men who has ever been elected from this state to serve in Congress. I'm embarrassed to share a state with him.

Nice trick, registering here just so you could defend your "friend". Now run along and quit telling stories to people you don't know on the internet.

[Withywindle]

31. That's what people of their ilk DO!

Of course they're sensitive to painful issues - when it happens to THEM, or someone of a similar socioeconomic class, or someone they know and like personally. I can totally believe she was kind to your friend - because she judged your friend worthwhile, because she met her. Well, what about all the other women in a similar situation who she won't bond with on a personal level? They can just go hang, right, especially if they're poor?

But when it happens to "other" people, people they can stereotype and dismiss, people they feel they can refuse to help or demonize, they'll do that - even if it's the exact same fucking issue.

Consider the Santorums: Mrs. Santorum's life was saved by what RW politicians call a "late-term" or "partial-birth" abortion. Without it, she would have died. They were able to compartmentalize it in their minds as a "stillbirth" and take the dead fetus home and cuddle it, etc. Well, that's fine with me. I'm not judging them for that - I'm judging him for wanting to criminalize the same procedure, at the cost of lives of women who aren't his wife and are therefore disposable to him.

I don't CARE what RW politicians do in their personal lives. I'm sure some of them are very sweet to people they know and consider their social equals. I care only about what the policies they push might do to all the rest of us.

[_ed_]

34. So what

We're just supposed to take the word of an anonymous person on a message board? Sorry, don't believe a word you wrote. Prove it. A photo with the Tiahrts, anything.

Just prove it.

[demtenjeep]

8. yea okay

what ever

so this entire article is a lie? They should sue then

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Baloney

Enjoy your pizza.

[tkmorris]

16. You may not be aware of this

Though it's in the ToS you signed off on when you joined, but we don't allow namecalling here. You might want to reign that in a wee bit.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. I alerted

This guy needs to be shown the door.

[Major Nikon]

33. He's been PPRed

He did make it all the way to 5 posts. I guess he thought people were stupid enough to believe he was a Democrat and a lawyer. He might as well have gone all the way and said he was an astronaut or a circus geek. At least that way there would be some entertainment value.

[legaleagle78]

11. sue?

that's up to them but as a lawyer, I can tell you that defamation in this case is rather hard to establish because Tiahrt is probably still considered a public figure. Go after him on the issues....I do it all the time.....but to try to capitalize on the death of his 16 year son is sickening.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Well that statement coming from somebody who's son aparently committed suicide

seems off

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/jul/29/tiahrts_son_laid/

Just saying... yes went looking.

Not saying it did not happen, or it did happen, or that the man is a boy scout. But after researching a story on suicide in general, this comment seems way off.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. Wouldn't surprise me at all

Tiahrt is a nutbag.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. It would surprise me, given all the information outstanding on Suicide

and what it does to survivors.

If the son did indeed commit suicide and he indeed made that comment... it just does not fit.

I'd say that in my mind it raises questions about the actual cause of death, if indeed he said that. And that is actually quite worst.

[tkmorris]

19. Republican politicians often act in ways that don't "fit" what most people would call human

It's bizarre, and yet they persist.

[Zalatix]

27. It's consistent with Social Darwinism.

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. But you don't know him.

We do.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. It is not whether I know him or not

nor am I saying he is a boy scout.

It is what is known about suicide survivors.

[demtenjeep]

22. no, in this case you do not know all

these fundy nutty repukes really would be like this!

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. Did you see the article I put up on Facebook today about the repuke from Wichita

who didn't like what redistricting has done to her "majority caucasian" district?

These Kansas repukes are disgusting. I wouldn't put ANYTHING nasty past any of them.

[demtenjeep]

30. I agree

The only republican I would ever even consider is Jean Schoerdoff and she is so different than the others in her party.

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. We have a couple moderates here but I don't trust them either

They need to be Democrats and leave the KS GOP to the far right whackos.

[William769]

23. Would you believe someone alerted on this post.

I wonder who it could have been.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. For WHAT!?

Geez. How stupid.

[William769]

26. Here are the results.

At Sat Mar 17, 2012, 01:07 AM an alert was sent on the following post:

Wouldn't surprise me at all

REASON FOR ALERT:

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate. (See <a href="http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=aboutus#communitystandards" target="_blank">Community Standards</a>.)

ALERTER'S COMMENTS:

No comments added by alerter

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Sat Mar 17, 2012, 01:20 AM, and the Jury voted 0-6 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: The fact that no comments were provided by the alerter, speaks for me. Leave it alone, people need to discuss issues not personal alerts all the time. This is a discussion board ... akbacchus
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: Hey alerter - if you want something to be considered you should probably make a case for hiding the post. Is this a glitch?
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: No explanation given
Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: No explanation given
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: No explanation given

Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

[proud2BlibKansan]

28. Thanks

There was also one vote not to hide each of the two posts I alerted on. Why would anyone think that a new person can register and call a longtime DUer a jackass in one of their first posts?

Crazy.

[legaleagle78]

14. you obviously don't get it.

Go after Tiahrt all you want on the issues. His politics is maddening but leave his family alone.

[_ed_]

35. I do get it, and I don't care

Public figures choose to make their lives public. This isn't a private citizen.

[Zalatix]

25. Remember when I was ranting on DU about how the whole point is to kill off the poor?

Now does everyone get it?

This is how they all feel.